Many Declarations Signed Today

The Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) had their annual fund-raising reception this evening. It was well-attended and the food was fabulous!

ACORN members are keen to make a difference in their own lives and that of others. Many campaign for the living wage program and rally to prevent supplemental diet money from being clawed back from ODSP cheques although they may not be affected by either. They know that if they encounter a situation where they need support, it will be forthcoming.

This is why when presented with and asked to sign the Declaration form necessary to register WAP/PAF, each person listened intently to the explanation of how the Women's Alliance Party has come about and each took the time to read the Declaration and to ask questions if there was something they did not understand.

More forms were signed this evening at one time than at any other time since we began the party. And men and women, alike, signed the forms.

Thank-you, ACORN members.

What People in the Community are Doing

Last week at Carleton University, the Students Against Israeli Apartheid (SAIA) set up a table to pass pamphlets to passersby which included students and staff.

Several individuals from various activist groups and unions, including Nowar/Paix, the Raging Grannies, CUPE, and several people from church-based groups assembled en costume mimicking how they may have looked in the hippie times of the sixties.

The student group, SAIA, in support of the international Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) want to see the university divest itself from dealing with companies who have commerce with Israel in order to promote the idea of fair play with Palestine. These companies include Tesco, Northrop Grumman, BAE Systems and Motorola

Several years ago, students lead the vanguard insisting that the university stop dealing with South Africa as long as there was the apartheid system.

Met With Paul Dewar

We met with Paul Dewar, not at his Parliament Hill office but at his Constituency Office on Wellington Street West.

Our meeting was warm and friendly as Paul and his constituency staff were introduced to Esther Matharu, leader of the Women's Alliance Party.

Esther stressed that our aim is not to take votes away from other parties but rather to encourage the millions of Canadian who don't vote to become engaged and to vote for the party of their choice.

She was particularly adamant that WAP/PAF's first order of the day is to inform Canadians about the flaws in our current electoral model. She and Paul discussed various forms of electoral policy including the mixed model and the single transferable vote. Both agreed that the "first past the post" method of electing officials is not in the interests of democracy.

Off to the Hill in the Morning

We've an appointment with Paul Dewar, the NDP Member of Parliament for Ottawa Centre.

Since our WAP/PAF ideology is closest to the NDP's than the other parties, we look forward to speaking with Mr. Dewar and encouraging him to join the conversation on electoral reform.

George Galloway speaks on Parliament Hill in 

November 2010.

Signs of the Times